immersionlog
Sign inCreate account

いつの間にか

before I knew it, without noticing

いつの間にか + change or result

Sign up free to review this point on a spaced schedule.

いつの間にか means something happened without anyone noticing when: いつの間にか、寝てしまった, "I fell asleep before I knew it". Literally, "at some point in the interval".

The second half is a change or a result that's already complete: it got dark, the children grew up, the wallet disappeared, I started dreaming in Japanese.

It often pairs with てしまう or ていた, emphasising that the change is already done: いつの間にか、外が暗くなっていた.

Compare いつか ("some day") and いつも ("always"). いつの間にか looks back at a change you missed.

Examples

  • いつの間まにか、寝ねてしまった。

    I fell asleep before I knew it.

  • いつの間まにか、外そとが暗くらくなっていた。

    Before I knew it, it had got dark outside.

  • 子こどもたちはいつの間まにか大おおきくなった。

    The children have grown up without my noticing.

  • 財布さいふがいつの間まにかなくなっていた。

    My wallet had disappeared without my noticing.

  • いつの間まにか、日本語にほんごで夢ゆめを見みるようになった。

    Before I knew it, I'd started dreaming in Japanese.

Related